BHOPAL: Nearly 80 years after the country’s independence from British Rule, the ‘Land of Diamonds’ Panna district and the ‘Land of Birbal’ Sidhi district in Madhya Pradesh got regular rail connectivity on Saturday.
Railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav inaugurated on Saturday the Satna-Devendra Nagar (Panna) and Rewa-Churhat (Sidhi) railway lines.
The two leaders also virtually flagged off the Churhat-Devendra Nagar-Churhat Mainline Electric Multiple Unit (MEMU) train, which will begin commercial operations on Monday and run six days a week, except Sundays.
The inauguration of the two railway lines and the launch of the new train service mark a significant step towards providing long-awaited rail connectivity to key areas of Panna in the Bundelkhand region and Sidhi in the Vindhya region of Madhya Pradesh.
The new MEMU train service connecting Sidhi and Panna districts (both hitherto not centrally connected with rail) will render regular train service to passengers of Churhat, Rampur Naikin and Baghwar in Sidhi district of Vindhya region and Devendra Nagar and Fulwari in Panna district of Bundelkhand region.
Among the two new rail lines inaugurated on Saturday, while the Satna-Devendra Nagar section is 53-km long, the Rewa-Churhat section is 65-km long.
The two new rail sections in Bundelkhand and Vindhya region of MP, are important components of the ambitious 541-km-long Lalitpur (Uttar Pradesh) and Singrauli (north eastern MP) rail project, which is targeted to be completed by 2028.
Around 60% work on the ambitious 541-km long Lalitpur-Singrauli rail route has already been completed with the inauguration of the two key sections of MP on Saturday.
With the new MEMU train service, now at least three stations in Sidhi (the north eastern MP district which houses Raja Birbal’s village Ghoghra) and two railway stations of Panna district (the Bundelkhand region’s disgtrict is famous as the Land of Diamonds) have got regular connectivity. All these five stations of the two districts are centrally located in the two districts.
Once the remaining 40% work on the 541-km Lalitpur-Singrauli project is completed, the headquarters of Panna and Sidhi districts will also get regular rail connectivity.
The 541-km long crucial Lalitpur-Singrauli rail line – which joins Bundelkhand and Vindhya regions of MP and UP, was sanctioned in 1997-98.
This improved rail connectivity through the two newly inaugurated lines, is expected to give fresh impetus to tourism across the Vindhya region. The area is home to several prominent tourist attractions, including the White Tiger Safari at Mukundpur. Improved rail connectivity will make it more convenient for tourists to access the region’s religious, historical and natural attractions. This will boost tourism, local trade, hotels and transport services while creating new employment opportunities in the region.
The development of these rail sections will facilitate the expansion of industrial activities, the establishment of new industries and cement plants, and the creation of local employment opportunities across the Vindhya region. Better rail connectivity will ease freight transportation, encourage trade and help expand employment opportunities for local youth. Thus, the expansion of the rail network will provide fresh impetus to regional economic development and public welfare.
Addressing the inauguration programme virtually on Saturday, the MP CM Dr Mohan Yadav said that “Today marks a significant day for Vindhya and Bundelkhand regions, as the regions have received a new railway facility. This railway project will play an important role in taking Madhya Pradesh into a new era of development. Spanning approximately 541 kilometres, the project will expand the railway network in the region and benefit areas that have long been in need of improved rail connectivity. In addition to providing improved connectivity to Panna, Rewa, Sidhi, Singrauli, Satna and other areas of Vindhya and Bundelkhand, the railway project would also strengthen connectivity between Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.”
The Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw described the new railway sections as an important step towards providing a new lifeline to Vindhya and Bundelkhand. He said the project would fulfil a long-standing demand for improved connectivity in regions of considerable historical and cultural significance.
He said better rail access would encourage industrial activity, create opportunities for new industrial corridors and improve access to healthcare and other essential services. He added that railway projects worth approximately Rs 1.5 lakh crore were under way in Madhya Pradesh, alongside the development of railway stations and improvements in passenger amenities.
According to the minister, efforts were also under way to introduce more than 100 long- and short-distance train services in the state in the coming years, including several MEMU services. He highlighted ongoing station redevelopment projects at Khajuraho and Gwalior as part of the broader railway infrastructure expansion.
Importantly, the terminal station of the new MEMU train service – Churhat station in Sidhi district – has been seminal to MP state’s politics, as the Churhat assembly segment of Sidhi district, has since decades been the pocket borough of former MP CM and ex-union minister Arjun Singh and his present Congress MLA and ex-leader of opposition (LoP) son Ajay Arjun Singh ‘Rahul Bhaiya.’
